Day 227.... spring has sprung

Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts. ~Dodinsky

Today was a true Winter's day, the sky was grey, it rained, though not really cold but the flowers believe that Spring has sprung and are adding colour to the day

Day 226... Kaboom

Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!

Day 225...

"In friendship's fragrant garden,
There are flowers of every hue.
Each with its own fair beauty
And its gift of joy for you." 



Day 224... unloved

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.
Dogen

Last year I would have looked at this and swore that weeds had once again taken over the garden bed, this year I swear that weeds have once again taken over the garden bed and then grabbed my camera...    

Day 223... crossroads

This is the intersection of North Terrace and King William Street, looking towards Parliment House and the Adelaide Railway Station.

Parliament House, on the corner of North Terrace and King William Road in Adelaide city centre, is the seat of the Parliament of South Australia. It was built to replace the adjacent and overcrowded Parliament House, now referred to as "Old Parliament House". Due to financial constraints, the current Parliament House was constructed in stages over 65 years from 1874 to 1939.

Adelaide Railway Station is the central terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system. It is on the north side of North Terrace, west of Parliament House. The Adelaide Casino is in part of the building that is no longer required for the station.   

Day 222...

“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.”

Day 221... being counted

The true test of civilization is, not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops, but the kind of man that the country turns out.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson



Day 220...

The rare Amazon Waterlily (Victoria amazonica) flowered this weekend – 6/7 August – at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

The Amazon Waterlily does not flower frequently, however, when it does, it creates a visually spectacular site for approximately 72 hours.

The flower opens during the day with white petals, closes overnight and reopens with its petals a beautiful shade of pink before dying.

The Adelaide Botanic Gardens is one of the only places in Australia to see this natural marvel, so is not to be missed.

The Amazon Waterlily Pavilion was purpose built an opened in 2007 to replace the lily’s original home, Victoria House, which was constructed in 1868.

The Gardens have been growing the Victoria amazonica for the past 140 years after the Gardens second director, Dr Richard Schomburgk, brought seeds back from an expedition to Guyana, South America.

The lily in the Adelaide Botanic Garden is a result of genetic material collected from the 2005 Guyana Expedition, which was lead by the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide Director Stephen Forbes.

My plan was to use the HDR function in Photoshop (elements 8) so I took bracketed shots, when I got home and went through the process I was not happy with the end result so I played... this is three bracketed shots that I mixed just using the blend tools in Layers... I am happy with it

PS managed to get my shot before going to work so no wandering the streets at 11:30 looking for a shot    

Day 219...

Elder Park is a public open space in the city of Adelaide, South Australia on the southern bank of the River Torrens and that is bordered by the Adelaide Festival Centre and North Terrace.

The park is named after the Elder family who were early settlers and developed the company Elder Smith (previously known as Goldsborough Mort).

The Elder Park Rotunda was erected in 1882.

Yesterday's photo was taken at 11:54 and today's at 11:56... starting to really leave to the last minute or so. New goal for tomorrow... take the photo before going to work.    

Day 218... City of Churches

I never weary of great churches. It is my favorite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral.
Robert Louis Stevenson

St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide.[1] The cathedral is situated on approximately one acre (4,000 m²) of land at the corner of Pennington Terrace and King William Road in the suburb of North Adelaide.

Day 217...

Another busy day... I took plenty of shots but nothing suitable for my project so I had to find something at home to shoot.

This is a bit of bling that makes feel a little bit more special when I wear it so it seem perfect for my project    

Day 216.... changing weather

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard

After some beautiful weather over the last week, Winter has returned... the temp dropped and the rain fell.   

Day 215.... angry birds

The Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania

When I started this project I made a list of things that I would like to capture, of course that list keeps growing, and a Rainbow Lorikeet was one of the things on the list    

Day 214...

 think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.
Alice Walker

Okay it wasn't a field but a small bush on the footpath as I walked to my car but it caught my eye and I couldn't help but stop and try to capture it... I wouldn't want to piss off the Big Guy would I...

Day 213... new toy

Olympus TG-610, Waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof and dustproof, this 14 megapixel, 5x optical zoom camera captures all of life's spills, thrills and chills with spectacularly high quality photos and HD movies.

I wanted a smaller camera to throw in my bag when heading out but I also wanted something that I could get tough with... I looked at a couple, the Olympus won... now I am looking forward to heading up to Queensland in a couple of weeks with my neices and nephews and seeing what magic I can capture    

Day 212...

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

~ Marcel Proust

I feel very lucky that I have a variety of people in my life that make me happy... friends that I have known for years or just for a short time, family that is there for me, and then there are the people that I have never met but that enjoy part of my life and I share theirs through this wonderful community   

Day 211... postcard shot

Another busy day, I had the pleasure of being the photographer at a 70th birthday in the afternoon and then a 21st in the evening... this shot was taken as I headed to the 70th, yet another beautiful winter's day in Adelaide.

The "Popeye" boats are privately owned recreational ferries that operate on the lake between Elder Park and the Adelaide Zoo. The first boat was launched on the Torrens Lake by Gordon Watts in 1935. It was a 25-foot (7.6 m) boat, built on the banks of the Torrens to hold up to 20 passengers and named Popeye 1. Watts purchased a former Glenelg cruise boat in 1948 and placed it in service as Popeye 2. Over the next two years three new jarrah hulled boats were built at Port Adelaide; carrying 40 passengers each they were numbered Popeye 3 through Popeye 5. Trips on the Popeyes from Elder Park to the zoo became a treasured family outing and the boats hosted weddings and other events    

Day 210... for sale

For Sale... living quarters for one

Yet another long day (seems to be a repeating theme for the week), I saw this shell this morning but didn't have a chance to shoot it, I thought I would leave it for another day but after a day at work where I once again didn't take my camera out of my bag, I needed a shot so I headed out in the dark and found this pre-loved property    

Day 209... in the dark

Yet another busy day, it has been a busy week...

I promised more shots from North Terrace and here is a silhouette of a statue of Sir Walter Watson Hughes, One of the founders of the University, and its first donor.    

Day 208...

This is a quick shot of the wood pile in the hotel where we had dinner for my son's birthday (interesting thing is they only have gas fires)... another very busy day

Day 207...

"If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree."
- W.. B . Yeats

One of the things I love about the 365 project is the community and getting to know people that have a passion for photography as I do... people that are different branches on the same tree called photography.   

Day 206... Keeping the darkness away

Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos. ~Don Kardong

I spent the day at work, I did not even take my camera out of my bag, headed home and had dinner, still hadn't take my camera out of the bag... I needed a photo, what could I take a photo of.... icecream of course, the things I do for this project

I have been very bad on updating this blog... I have posted everyday to the 365project site but not here so I am updating by just copying over my comments from there to here